


They Found Out

by Titch360



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 15:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7645825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce tries to maintain an open relationship with his sons, but there is one thing he has hidden from Dick since he was a little boy.  See what happens when They Find Out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	They Found Out

They Found Out

 

Bruce was taking the elevator down to the fifteenth floor for a Foundation update meeting when his cell phone rang.  Pulling the device out of his pocket, a picture of Alfred flashed on the screen along with a ringtone version of Rule Britannia.  _I really need to keep Dick away from my phone._

Answering the phone, Bruce said, “Hello, Alfred.  What’s going on?”

The butler sounded harried, “Master Bruce, is it possible for you to come home early from the office this evening?”

Bruce wasn’t sure he liked the butler’s tone, or the implication inherent in the voice.  “What’s wrong?  Did something happen to the boys?”

Dick had taken the day off to spend the day with Damian.  Today was the first day of his summer vacation.  With the rest of the family working, Dick had assumed that his brother would be bored, and a bored Damian could be a dangerous thing.  Bruce had noticed changes in Damian’s attitude lately becoming more pronounced.  His youngest was mellowing, becoming more interested in the happenings around the manor, and he was making an effort to get along with people.  Dick wanted to make sure Damian stayed on the right track.

Alfred responded, “Um…I believe the safe answer to that question is ‘not yet’.”

“You’re being a bit cryptic here, Alfred.  I’m about to step into a meeting, what’s going on?”  Bruce was standing outside of the conference room.  Several functionaries entered the space, nodding at Bruce as they passed.  The last one to enter was Tim, attending the meeting as the head of the Wayne Foundation.  He sent a small smile to Bruce, who grabbed the teen’s wrist and pulled him aside.  When the hall was empty, Bruce gave him a quick hug, knowing that Tim would not appreciate such a gesture in front of coworkers.  Everyone knew how Tim had come about his position in the company, being one of the boss’ sons, but he had worked hard to be accepted by those he worked with, and had risen above the gripes of nepotism with hard work.  Tim’s smile grew as Bruce waved him into the conference room with a genuine smile of his own.

“Master Bruce, Master Dick and Master Damian decided it would be a good idea to rent movies today.  I did not accompany them to the rental store.  While they were gone, I felt it was a good time to do the weekly grocery shopping.  By the time I got back, they were already engrossed in their selection.  Well, they chose to view…um…your forbidden selection.”

“No,” Bruce felt the color drain from his face.  _No!  How did they even find out it existed?  I have hidden all knowledge of that film’s existence from Dick for sixteen years!  How did I fail now?  Why did they have to find it together?  It will hurt both of them._

“I’m afraid so, Master Bruce.”  Alfred sounded like the admission was going to cost him his job.

“How far in are they?”

Before Alfred could answer, an echoing cry of ‘ _NO!’_ from two distinct voices could be heard through the phone.  Bruce cringed at the sound.

“I believe they are at the end, sir.”

“Oh, God.  I’ll wrap this meeting up quickly and be home right after.”

“Thank you, sir.  I shall attend to them until you arrive.”

Bruce hung up his cell phone, thinking ‘ _this is a hell of a way for Damian to start his break.  They had to find it together, didn’t they?  Why?  Why that one?’_

Bruce pocketed his phone and entered the conference room.  “Gentlemen, I’m sorry, I had to take a call.  I’m also sorry that I have to ask you to hurry this meeting along.  Something has come up, and the time scheduled for this meeting needs to be shortened.”

One executive that Bruce didn’t recognize spoke up.  “This is just an update meeting, Mr. Wayne, do you want to reschedule for another time?”

Bruce sat at the head of the table, “No, we’re all here.  I want you to go ahead with your presentations.  Just, talk a bit faster than normal.  Skip any of the extras and just give me the facts and numbers.  Make sure reports are sent to my office.  Anything we miss, I promise, I will read in the reports.”

The same man stood and loaded a Powerpoint presentation into the projector.  “Absolutely, Mr. Wayne.  Let’s get started.”

Forty-five minutes later, the executives filed out of the room.  The meeting was scheduled to go for an hour, but they were able to condense it as much as possible.  Bruce was appreciative of their efforts and swore that the truncated timeline was no reflection on the importance of the projects being presented.  Tim’s urban renewal project had suffered a freak industrial accident that put it several days behind schedule when a construction crane collapsed last week, but had no impact on the budget.  They had factored in extra capital for regulatory expenses, and this just bit into that budget a bit.  The project would be back on schedule within the month, and should be completed before the end of the year.  The other project presented was an update on the growth of sales for the Wayne Tech Super-Laptop.  Sales were taking off and production was being ramped up to meet demand.  In the first several months on the market, the Wayne Tech models were outselling MacBooks by a significant margin.  In all, things were going well for these two aspects of the company.

As he was the last one in, Tim was also the last one to make his way to the door.  He took one last look back at Bruce, wondering what had made him cut the meeting short, when Bruce called out, not looking up from the report in front of him, “Mr. Drake, could you wait a moment?”

Looking up, he saw that Tim had been staring at him while leaning on the door to the conference room, the same one Tim had closed as soon as he approached it, hoping to find out what had Bruce so disturbed.

“What’s wrong, Bruce?”

Bruce took a deep breath and said, “Tim, sit down.  I got a call from Alfred just before the meeting.  I’m leaving to go home right now, and I want you to come with.”

Tim collapsed into the chair, “My God, Bruce.  What happened?  Is everyone alright?”

“Physically, yes, but Dick and Damian just had a pretty traumatic experience, for them, at least.”

Tim cocked his head, confused.  “How traumatic could it be?  Dick told me yesterday that he and Damian were going to sit in the den and watch movies all day today.”

“That’s what Alfred said they were doing when he got back from the grocery store.  They rented movies, and…”

Tim paled in much the same way as Bruce had earlier.  “No…they didn’t…you mean..?”

Nodding, Bruce said quietly, “Yes.  Do you know how long I have worked to keep that movie out of my house?  For Dick’s sake?”

Tim felt his mouth going dry.  “You know it will affect Damian exactly the same way we always feared it would affect Dick.  Do you know if they watched it yet?”

“They were watching it when Alfred called me.  They were…right at the end.  I…I could… _hear_ it, in the background.”

Tim stood, walked over, and placed a hand on Bruce’s shoulder.  “We have to go, Bruce, now.”

Bruce placed a hand over the hand on his shoulder, “Thanks, Tim.  I knew you would understand.”

As they left the conference room, Tim said, “Yeah, well…I remember what it did to me, and I wasn’t nearly as…sympathetic…as those two.  You’re okay bringing me to work in the morning?”

Bruce smiled, glad he didn’t have to ask his third son to stay the night, “Of course, son.  I’m going to need you tonight.”

 

_Earlier that morning…_

Dick padded across the hall, yawning, still wearing his pajama pants and a tank top.  A couple new bruises on his shoulder marred his tan skin with a tinge of purple.  Summer sun shone through the windows in the hallway, putting a smile on Dick’s face.  _It’s going to be a great day,_ he thought with a smile.

Stopping outside his youngest brother’s door, Dick listened for any noise coming from the room.  Hearing nothing, Dick slowly opened the door and smiled at the sight that met him.  Damian was still asleep, laying on his side, facing away from the door.

As an end of school present, Damian had been allowed a mid-week patrol with the family.  His excellent grades, combined with his recently greatly reduced animosity towards Tim, had made the decision very easy for Bruce.  It had turned into a longer patrol than they had originally anticipated, with a bank robbery turning into a high-speed chase, which had ended when the vehicle in question drove off a bridge.  Nightwing, Red Robin, and Robin hadn’t hesitated to dive into the river to save the criminals from drowning, causing Batman to feel great pride in his boys.  They had returned to the cave early this morning; soggy, tired, and satisfied at a job well done.

Dick had already arranged to have today off as a day to spend with his newly freed brother, to help him on his way to having a productive summer.

Dick walked up to the bed, but the boy didn’t stir.  Dick smiled as he sing-songed, “Damian, wake up!  Today is our day together, you can’t sleep through it all!”

Damian shifted slightly, but made no response, still sound asleep.  Dick remembered many of the tactics Bruce had used to wake him up as a boy, and sprouted an evil smile to match one Bruce had used long ago.

Dick ripped back the blankets, which had been pulled right up under the boy’s chin, and took a step back in surprise.  While the former assassin normally slept in full length, long sleeved pajamas, today Dick found him in just a pair of bright blue, silk boxer shorts.

Damian reached as far down the bed as he could without moving his body to pull the blankets back up, so he could go back to sleep, his hand swiping uselessly at the covers, which now lay mostly on the floor.  He stretched down with a muttered ‘nnyyeah’ before opening one eye.

Spotting Dick, Damian mumbled blearily, “What are you doing, Dick?”

Dick smiled as he laid down next to Damian and said, “Awww, you called me by my first name!”

Closing his eye again, Damian said, “No, I called you _a_ dick.”

Placing his hand on Damian’s shoulder, Dick said, “Come on, it’s your first day of summer.”

“I know, that’s why I’m sleeping.  Shouldn’t you be at work?”

Dick sighed, his good mood starting to deflate, “I told you, I took today off so I could spend the day with you.”

Unseen by Dick, Damian smiled.  He knew exactly why his older brother was here, he just wanted to hear him say it again.

Dick pulled himself closer, wrapping an arm around the boy.  “If anyone around here deserves a reward, right now, I guess it’s you.  Even Bruce has noticed how much you are trying to improve yourself and be a bigger part of the family.  We’re all proud of you, Little D.  You know, Tim still talks about how shocked he was at your birthday present for him.  You really did a good job.”

Damian smiled at the praise, then sighed, “Father wasn’t so complimentary.  He wasn’t so happy about where the money came from.”

Dick snorted, “Yeah, well…spend ten thousand of my dollars without telling me, I would be pretty upset, too.”

“It wasn’t his money.”

Dick was confused, “What do you mean?”

Damian said, with a smile in his voice, “I siphoned it off from Mother’s accounts.”

“YOU DID WHAT?”

Damian winced at the tone.  “It’s her fault.  She never blocked my access to the accounts after she disowned me.  She never wants to see me again, but she also never took my name off the approved access list for the accounts.  She called Father a couple days after Drake’s birthday to…let’s say _discuss_ …the withdrawal.  I told her that she should be happy that I _only_ took ten thousand dollars.  The account I accessed, which used to be _my_ account, by the way, had over twenty million dollars in it.”

“That must have been a terrible call,” Dick felt for his brother.  Damian always came away feeling just a bit more depressed every time he had any contact with his mother, mostly because she never failed to rub it in that she no longer wanted anything to do with him.

“It was, but…”

“But?”

Damian sighed, “…But, it was nice to hear her voice again.  I know, she’s a terrible person, who probably deserves to be in prison, but she’s still my mother, and I…miss her…every now and then, even though she really doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

Dick pulled the boy in tight, offering the comfort that Damian refused to ask for.  Like everyone in the family, Damian had lost a parent.  However, his loss was far harder to cope with than the loss of Bruce or Dick’s parents.  The Wayne’s and the Grayson’s were dead, and their surviving sons could rest well in the fact that their parents had died loving them.  Damian’s parent hadn’t died, but instead had abandoned him with a stranger and disappeared into the night.  While that might have been hard enough to deal with if he never saw her again, Talia showed up at the most inopportune moments, moments when Damian was at his weakest or lowest, and always managed to bring him down just a little bit more.  Disowning him and declaring him an enemy of the house of Al Ghul had been her attempt at severing the last ties between mother and son.  It had allowed Damian to finally accept his place and role in the Wayne household, but it also left him with a quandary.  As he had learned to act as a member of an almost normal family, he had opened himself up to feelings he was unfamiliar with.  He began caring for those around him, those bound to him through blood or adoption.  He began to love, and feel love in return.  However, he also found an empty spot in his heart, a large gaping wound that used to be filled with his mother.  He had come to terms with the fact that, while she could cut herself off from him, he didn’t want to cut himself off from her, not completely.  Sometimes, a boy just wants his mother.

Damian lost himself in his brother’s grasp so completely, that he lost all track of time and place.  When he woke again, it could have been minutes or hours later.  Damian decided he didn’t care, as long as Dick didn’t leave him.

A slight tickle on his chest drew his attention.  “Grayson, what are you doing,” the boy whispered.

“Shush, I’m cuddling with my brother, who obviously needs it,” was whispered in reply.

“No, not that.  Your hand.”  Dick had been unconsciously drawing his hand across Damian’s bare chest, lazily tracing the surgery scar over the boy’s ribs lightly with a finger.

“Oh, that.  Your scar is fading.  A couple more years and that one could be gone completely.”

“It’s not,” Damian sighed.

“Sure it is.  I can barely feel it anymore.”

Damian sighed again, then shuddered as he remembered that terrible day when he awoke in the warehouse to find himself maimed and Dick close to death.  “Lower.”

“What?”

Damian lightly grabbed his brother’s hand, placing his index finger over Dick’s index finger.  He dragged the finger farther down his chest, following the scar down his chest and to his side, where it was still a large and formidable scar, even over a year after the injury.  “I don’t think that one is going to go away any time soon.”

“Oh, D.”  Dick pulled the boy in to a tight hug as he thought of the other injuries his boy had suffered on that day, injuries that he should have been able to prevent if he only had better information before jumping at a flimsy lead.

“Come on, let’s do something to take our minds off of the past.  Get dressed.  I have a great way for us to waste the day.”

As they both got up, Dick saw the pattern on the front of Damian’s boxers for the first time.  He smiled as he said, “You better make sure Bruce doesn’t find out about those.  Really, Damian?  Superman underwear?”

“If you are going to criticize what I choose to sleep in, then I am going to have to take you down to the cave to remind you of what you used to wear around town on patrol.  How did Father ever let you out of the cave while wearing scaly green underwear and _no pants?_ ”

“I was _nine_ when I designed that costume.  Why does everyone keep pointing that out?”

“I was ten when I designed my costume, and do you know what I was able to find in the cave?  PANTS!”

Remembering something Damian said a minute earlier, Dick took a gamble.  “You know, it was a bit of a shock to see you in just boxers when I pulled your blankets back.  What happened to your normal pajamas?  Oh, ew!  You didn’t wet the bed last night, did you?”

Glaring at his brother, Damian responded crisply, “I don’t see you criticizing Father for sleeping in his boxers.  I happen to find this more comfortable during the summer months.  Am I not allowed to be comfortable in my own home?”

Dick just smiled.  _Damian actually admitted that he thinks of this place as home, and with his improved behavior, he must also think of us as family.  He’s come so far._   “Yeah, Damian.  You’re allowed to be comfortable, in your own home, with your family.  You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say something like that.”

Damian gave a small smile, the one he only shows when he’s truly happy.  “As for my continence, that has never been in question.  I believe Pennyworth will be holding breakfast for us.  You can tell me of this day-wasting plan of yours then.”

Two hours later, after a hearty breakfast and a warmer than usual greeting from Alfred, Dick pulled the car up in front of one of the few remaining video stores in Gotham City.  Damian looked uncharacteristically guilty as he closed the door to the bright blue Porsche 911 he was exiting.

“Why didn’t we just take your car, Grayson?”

Smiling, Dick said, “Because I like this one.  Bruce never uses it, and it’s just criminal to leave something this beautiful sitting in the garage all the time.”  He trailed a hand down the sleek lines of the car.

“…But, I mean, it’s not…Shouldn’t we have asked first?”

Dick regarded his brother and said, “If I had moved anywhere other than Bludhaven when I first moved out, I would have taken it with me then, and it would have been mine, no questions asked.  Bruce told me I could use it anytime, so don’t look so nervous, little brother.”

“…Father likes his Porsches…”

“Bruce likes the convertibles.  He likes this one, too, but given the choice, he would take the convertibles any day.”

Damian looked up at the clear blue sky of early summer and said, “A convertible might have been nice today, it’s hot.”

Dick threw an arm around Damian’s shoulders as they entered the air-conditioned building and said jokingly, “Nothing’s ever good enough for you, is it?”

As they walked towards the racks of movies, Dick suddenly turned Damian towards him and placed his hands on both of the boy’s shoulders.  Looking him in the eye, Dick said, “Okay, I have a test for you.  We are each going to pick out one movie.  I want to see how well you know my tastes, and I will try to pick something to suit your tastes, as well.  You have one hour to pick out a movie that you think I would like.  Some ground rules:  it has to be something that neither one of us has seen, it has to be something you think I would like to see, and it can’t be anything that would cause Alfred to yell at us if he caught us watching it.   Got it?”

Damian nodded and scampered off towards the racks.  “And don’t let me catch you in the back of the store.  You aren’t allowed behind that curtain!” Dick called out after the boy, not sure if Damian heard him.

As Dick turned to the numerous racks of entertainment before him, the enormity of the task he had set himself hit him.  What could he possibly pick that his brother would like, that Dick hadn’t already shown him?  Dick had the advantage of knowing that Damian had seen precious few movies in his lifetime; the League of Assassins was not known for having movie nights.  However, Dick had taken it on as a special mission from day one to introduce the boy to as many movies as he could.  Now, what would Damian like?

Dick cheated a bit as he looked over his shoulder to spot Damian in front of the wall of new releases.  He was overjoyed to see Damian pick up one movie and read the box, only to put it back and pick up another, before discarding that one and moving down the wall to review something else.  _He’s actually taking this seriously.  It’s so nice when he tries to please._

Dick wandered the older movie sections and felt at a disadvantage.  His three go-to, Damian-entertaining sections were effectively counted out.  Dick had already shown Damian every movie starring either Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, or Godzilla.  _Now, if they could make a movie where Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris teamed up to fight Godzilla, we might have a winner._   He continued his search, entering the dramas.  Picking up a box for The Maltese Falcon, Dick thought he might have a winner.  _No, I can’t bring Bogart into the house and not invite Bruce to join us.  He would be heartbroken if he found out we had watched a classic like this without him.  Oh, no, wait.  That’s right, we have this one at home already, never mind._   Dick placed the box back on the shelf and continued his search.

After fifty minutes of searching, Dick finally found his choice for the afternoon.  Wearing a triumphant grin and clutching the DVD tightly to his chest, he looked around for Damian.  The boy was nowhere in sight.  He returned to the last aisle where he had seen the boy, but found nothing.  _That was about twenty minutes ago, Dick, of course he moved on._

His eyes scanned the store carefully, until he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.  Turning back, he saw Damian slip back into the store, the purple curtain dividing the adult section from the general store area still waving at his passage.  Dick smirked as he made eye contact with Damian across the store.  Damian broke eye contact first, hanging his head in a gesture that Dick assumed indicated he was caught breaking one of the rules for the day.

As Dick approached the boy, who hadn’t moved since being spotted, he saw that Damian looked to be out of breath.  _Awww, those little hormones are kicking in.  My baby brother is growing up._   However, when Dick was close enough, he saw that Damian was not out of breath from excitement, but that the boy was near panic.

“Damian, are you alright?  Was there someone in there?”  Dick stuck his head behind the curtain and saw no one.  The only thing apparent in the dimly-lit room was copious amounts of pornographic material.  He could make out some of the images on the boxes, which left nothing to the imagination, and wondered if Damian was feeling overwhelmed.

Pulling his head back out again, Dick looked back at his brother.  Damian was shaking, his eyes were closed, and he was taking deep breaths to try to calm himself.  “Damian, come on, what’s going on?  You’re starting to worry me here.”

Taking another deep breath, Damian breathed out, “It’s nothing.  I…I’ll be okay in a minute.”

“Damian, you don’t have to tell me if it’s too embarrassing, but…was this the first time you’ve seen someone naked?”

Damian’s head whipped up, his eyes flashing, “Of course not, Grayson.  I’m eleven, not five.”

Dick nodded, “Okay.  Is this the first time you’ve seen…um…sex?  I mean, those pictures were pretty graphic.  They would be disturbing to anyone who wasn’t expecting to see them.”

Damian looked away again, “No, it’s not the first time I’ve…seen…sex.  Can we just go?”

They took a few steps away from the curtain, Damian still not looking at Dick.  “Damian, talk to me.  You have me concerned now.  What aren’t you telling me?”

Damian looked back at Dick, and the older brother could tell that the younger was fighting a war within himself about what to tell him.  Dick wasn’t exactly sure which side won in the end, but Damian only replied quietly with, “It’s okay.  It was a long time ago, a mission for the League.  I really don’t think I should talk about it.  I’ll be okay.”

Unconvinced, Dick was about to press when Damian changed the subject.  “…So, what movie did you choose?”

Having forgotten all about why they were really at the store, Dick looked at the DVD in his hand.  “Oh, um…Super Mario Brothers.  It’s based on the video game.  I haven’t seen it, but how bad can it be?”

Damian seemed genuinely interested in the selection as he took the case from Dick and read the back.  Handing the case back, the boy said, “Huh.  I haven’t seen it either.  Good choice.”

“So, what did you choose for me?”

Damian had also forgotten what his selection was, but handed over the case to Dick.  “Um…that.  It looked like something you would like.  I’ve never heard of it before.”

Dick took the case and smiled at the picture of the boy sitting with his dog.  “Hmmm. ‘Old Yeller’.  Can’t say as I’ve ever heard of this one.  I thought I’d at least heard of all the Disney movies, I wonder how I missed this one?  It seems to meet all the right criteria.  Haven’t heard of this one before, Disney movie, smiling boy and his dog.  Where can we go wrong?”

They checked out of the video store and noticed the strange looks they received from the cashier.  When Dick told the man that they were looking for movies that they hadn’t seen before, the man just shrugged and bagged their selections.

Once back in the car, Dick started the engine and threw the sports car into gear.  Before reversing out of the parking spot, Dick closed his eyes and turned the car back off.  Damian looked at his brother and opened his mouth to make a comment before Dick cut him off.

“Damian, why did you go behind the curtain?”

Damian shot back, “Why didn’t you just tell me what was back there?  If you had said ‘hey, there’s porn behind there, don’t go back there’, I wouldn’t have gone.  But no, you didn’t tell me, so I was curious.”

“…But, what about…”

Damian interrupted, “I just wasn’t expecting it, okay?  It…caught me off guard.”

Looking over, Dick asked, “…And, you’re…”

“I’m fine now.  Let’s just forget it happened.” Damian looked out of the windshield, and as Dick started the car again, Damian whispered, “Please don’t tell Father.”

Dick looked back at his brother again.  “You’re not in trouble, Damian.  You want it to stay with us, it will stay with us.”

By the time they returned to the manor, the brothers were smiling and joking again, ready to waste the rest of their day in front of the television.  Entering the den, Damian found a note taped to the remote control, and read it out loud to Dick.

“Boys, I have taken this downtime to venture forth to seek the weekly provisions.  Please immediately hasten to the kitchen.  There is a kettle of popcorn simmering, and drinks in the refrigerator, should you so desire.  Enjoy your free time, young Masters.  I daresay, it does not come quite often enough around here.  Yours sincerely, Alfred Pennyworth.”

Dick stared at his brother with a sagging jaw, “It does not say that.  Why would you make something like that up?  I thought you liked Alfred?”

Damian handed over the note as they made their way to the kitchen.  “I like Pennyworth just fine.  It’s not my fault that he writes simple notes as if he were addressing them to the Queen.”

As they entered the kitchen, Dick still couldn’t believe that Damian had read the note word for word, even after reading Alfred’s missive twice.  Damian went for the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of lemonade while Dick took the popcorn off the stove and emptied the kettle into a large bowl, which Alfred had left on a serving tray, next to two glasses.  Dick carried the tray back to the den, and was surprised to turn around and find Damian was not with him.  Retracing his steps, Dick felt his jaw drop again when he got back to the kitchen and saw Damian at the sink, washing the pot used to pop the popcorn.

“Damian, are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

Dick leaned on the island and said, “Well, you’re doing dishes, instead of watching Old Yeller with me, for one.”

Damian smiled to himself, “It’s only one dish, and I’m almost done.  Why don’t you come over here and dry it, so we can get back to the movies.  Wait, who said we were watching your movie first?”

Picking up a dish towel, Dick took the pot from the boy and inspected it to make sure it was going to be up to Alfred’s demanding standards of cleanliness.  When it passed inspection, he wiped it dry and placed it in the drying rack.  He had learned long ago, when he had volunteered to help Alfred with dishes as a boy to spend some time with the older man, that it was far better to let Alfred put the dishes away, lest they get misplaced. 

“We’re watching my movie first, brother, because you picked it out.  Since it was your choice, there must be some part of _you_ that wants to see it as well.”

“I picked it because I thought you might like it, not because I wanted to see it.” Damian tried to hide the fact that the movie intrigued him just as much as it did Dick.  He was even more intrigued that he had managed to find a Disney movie that Dick had not only never seen, but never heard of.  Damian always thought that Dick’s collection of Disney DVD’s was only rivaled by the Disney Archives themselves.

Smiling, Dick said, “Sure, little D.  That’s why we’re watching it first, to get it out of the way.”

Offering a glare that contained no malice, Damian asked, “Why do you have to do that?  Turning both of our arguments around so that we each feel like we won?  You know what, never mind.  Let’s just watch something, before the ice melts and ruins the lemonade.”

“Sounds good, D.  And, on behalf of Alfred, I would be remiss if I didn’t express my gratitude at the thoughtful gesture of cleaning up the kitchen.  It is most appreciated.”  Dick slipped into a British accent and offered a small bow as he finished his sentence.

Damian stared with wide eyes for a minute before saying, “That has to be the worst impersonation of Pennyworth that anyone has ever done.”

Nudging his brother as they left the kitchen, Dick said, “I’d like to hear you do better.”

Damian gave a small cough, then spoke in a perfect imitation of the butler’s tone, “’Very well, young Master, but I fail to see what this will accomplish.’  Mimic, remember Grayson?” Damian said, returning to his own voice.

Dick smiled as he put the DVD in the player and pressed play.  “Right, I forgot that my brother is freakin’ amazing.”

As they watched the movie, Damian became aware of certain similarities between the characters on screen and his own life.  Someone, or in this case, something, with a shady past gets adopted into a family.  The relationship is not always solid, and there is always something looming to separate the family.  The new family member tries to fit in, going so far as to injure itself in order to protect those who are coming to care for him, and trust builds.

When Burn Sanderson came to take Yeller from the boys, Damian startled in recognition.  Nudging Dick, he said, “Hey, that’s the guy from The Rifleman.”

Dick leaned closer and said, “Yeah, you’re right.  I always wondered if he had done anything else.  I guess I could have looked it up, but I never thought about it too much.”

“Quiet, Grayson.  He just said something.  I couldn’t make it out with you talking, but it looks like the boy isn’t happy.”

Dick picked up the remote, asking, “Do you want me to rewind it?”

Damian shook his head, “No, if it’s important, I’m sure we’ll see it come up again.”  Little did they know that the character on screen just gave away the ending of the movie.

“Hey, Little D, I was just thinking about the plot of this movie.  It kind of reminds me of…well, us.  Something cute is taken in by a family where one brother doesn’t like it and the other one does…”

“I’m eleven, Grayson.  It’s starting to get a little bit _strange_ when you keep calling me cute.”

Undaunted, Dick continued, “…Finally, they all start to trust each other, and they look out for each other.  It’s just like us.  I knew you would find a good movie.  I wonder why Bruce never watched this one with me when I was younger?”

A shuffling sound echoed behind the brothers from the open door.  Looking over their shoulders at the same time, they saw Alfred walk past the room, laden with grocery bags.  A minute later, he came back past the room and saw his charges looking at him.  “Good afternoon, young gentlemen.  I trust you were able to find something entertaining at the video store?”

Dick smiled, “Hi, Alfred.  Yep, we found a couple.  Do you need any help with the groceries?”

The butler returned the smile, “Oh, no.  I am quite capable of managing.  You two continue to enjoy your afternoon.”  The older man left, passing by twice more before popping his head back into the den.  “Thank you for washing the pot, young sir; that was very kind of you.”

Dick turned back to Alfred and said, “Don’t thank me; that was all Damian.  Wanted to make sure you had one less thing to do today, right brother?”

Damian, who was engrossed in the movie, turned as Dick nudged him, “Huh?  Oh, yeah.  Well…yeah, one less thing to do.”

Alfred noticed the screen, depicting a wolf attacking a dog.  “My, this seems a little more violent than I would have thought you would select.  I was unaware that the two of you condoned dog fighting.”

Damian, now turned back to the movie, said, “Cruelty to animals in any form is just barbaric.  This is okay, though, because Old Yeller is fighting for his family.”

The butler gasped, _Oh no, how could they have found that movie?  Master Bruce never prepared either of them for this._   “Old Yeller, you say?  That is quite the old movie you have found.”

Dick was smiling, “Yeah, who would have thought?  A Disney movie that I’ve never heard of.  Little D found it; he hadn’t heard of it either.”

Alfred slipped out of the room, pulling out his cell phone and selecting the first preset contact.  _Please answer, Master Bruce, you are greatly needed at home._

The boys watched as Yeller was taken back home to have his injuries treated.  Damian began having an ominous feeling about the direction the movie was taking.  “Um…Grayson?  This is a Disney movie, right?  I mean…nothing _bad_ really happens in Disney movies, right?”

The timid tone of voice coming from his normally confident brother matched the feeling in Dick’s gut.  Unconvincingly, he said, “Sure, D.  It’s…it should have a happy ending.  I can’t see them not fixing Yeller.”

Minutes passed slowly, and both boys began huddling closer to one another, wide eyed, wanting to stop the movie, but unable to look away.  As the cinema canine became sicker and more far gone, Dick and Damian began muttering to themselves, not really saying anything, just negating what they were witnessing with the belief that a Disney movie about the relationship between a boy and his dog couldn’t possibly end in tragedy.

“Dick?  Where’s he going with the gun?”

“Oh no.  No, nono, nonono…”

“Dick?”

“Damian?”

A loud shot, reverberating through the expensive surround sound system of the room, was followed by an even louder cry of “NO!” from both boys.  Damian grasped Dick’s shirt in a death grip and pulled his face into his brother’s chest, fat tears leaking from his eyes.  Dick, just as teary-eyed, turned from the screen and buried his face in Damian’s hair, his arms gripping tight around quaking shoulders.  Old Yeller was dead, and Dick’s faith in the goodness of the Disney brand was forever shaken.

Quiet mutterings were coming from the area of his chest.  “How could they?  How could they kill Old Yeller, Grayson?”

Dick was unable to speak without blubbering.  He just held tighter, using Damian as an anchor for his feelings.  Alfred snuck into the den and turned off the television.  He left a strategically placed box of tissues next to the boys, on the couch, without startling them.  He stepped back and sat in a nearby arm chair, waiting for them to calm themselves.

Wiping his nose on a tissue, Damian lifted his head and said quietly, “I had the same thought you did earlier, about how we were like the family in the movie.  I changed my mind, Grayson.  I don’t want to be like them, not at all.”

Dick, eyes still leaking but a bit calmer, replied just as quietly, “I don’t want to be like them, either, any more.  We aren’t going to k-k-kill you, brother.  We love you.  You’re not Old Yeller.”  Damian hugged his older brother and laid his head on his chest.

Noticing Alfred still sitting in the room, Dick said in a watery voice, “You knew, didn’t you?”

Alfred closed his eyes and said, “I’m sorry, Master Dick, but yes.  Master Bruce decided long ago that you were to never see this movie.  In fact, he told me the decision was made when he first explained the movie Dumbo to you.”

Dick thought back, “Wait, he’s been keeping this from me, from _us,_ since my eleventh birthday?”

Alfred nodded, “We thought it for the best.  You were always such a sensitive child.  This movie is blamed for ruining many childhoods.  Some go so far as to call it the saddest movie ever made.  Master Bruce figured it would be best if you were not exposed to another trauma, so soon after losing your parents.”

“Someone should warn Timmy, before…”

Alfred cut him off, “Master Timothy has already seen it, I’m afraid.  There is no need to shelter him from it.  On the other hand, he was integral in keeping it from you throughout his tenure here.”

Damian gave a large sniff before Alfred continued, “It was also Master Timothy’s idea to include you, Master Damian, on the list of people who should never see this film.  He knows how you feel about animals, and how much this would affect you.”

Glancing up, Damian asked quietly, “Why didn’t you stop us when we told you what we were watching?”

Addressing the boy, Alfred asked, “How, exactly?  You two are both extremely curious children.  I could not have stopped the movie without telling you why, and if I did, then you would have found another way to see it.  Would it have been any easier if I had turned off the movie and told you that they shoot the poor dog?”

Damian responded, “No.  I…I guess not.  I’m sorry, Grayson.  I picked a terrible movie for you.”

“No, Damian.  It fit all the guidelines I laid out, and I approved of your selection.  Let’s make a pact, bro: we never rent a movie again without first checking it out on IMDB, okay?”  Damian nodded.

Alfred said, “Your father has been notified of today’s incident.  He will be home early.  I assume that Master Timothy will be accompanying him, as well.”

“Is he mad at us?”  Dick asked, sounding like the eleven year old that Bruce had made the previously unknown prohibition to protect.

“He is only upset that he wasn’t here for your first viewing of this particular film.”

Damian snorted, “Not first, Pennyworth, _only._   I, for one, don’t want to see this again.  It started out so…nice.  What sort of sick person wrote this?”

The room went silent as a slight jingle could be heard from down the hall.  Damian’s eyes grew to the size of platters, and he got up and sprinted from the room before either of the room’s other occupants could say anything.

“My word,” Alfred exclaimed, “Is he that broken up about a movie?”

“No,” Dick said, shaking his head, “If I know my brother, he is off in search of Titus.”

“Ah, _oh_.”

“Yeah.  It’ll help him now, but in ten years or so, he’s going to have a hard time when Titus starts getting up towards…well…”

Bruce ran into the room, followed closely by Tim.  Bruce vaulted the couch and pulled his eldest into a tight embrace, muttering, “I’m sorry, Dickie.  I’m so sorry, chum.  I should have prepared you better; I should have at least told you it was out there.”

Dick felt transported back to his first days at the manor, and fresh tears came.  “It’s…It’s okay, Bruce.  I’ll get over it.  I think I just need some time.  You were right, I wouldn’t have been able to stand this one as a child.”

Bruce chuckled, “I’ve been keeping every mention of this movie from you for sixteen years.”

“So Alfred told me.”

Bruce squeezed Dick again, “So, what did you think?”

Dick pulled back a bit to look at his father, “Well, it was a good movie, right up until Yeller got sick, then it went downhill really fast.”

Bruce looked a bit nervous, “You’re not…um…planning on watching it again, are you?”

Dick let out an involuntary laugh, “Um…no.  Neither Damian nor I ever wish to see that movie again.”

Bruce finally realized that Alfred had called about both boys, and so far he had only seen one.  “Oh, crap, I forgot.  Where is he?”

“I’m pretty sure he ran off to find Titus.  He left just before you got here.”

Tim ran from the room at a look from Bruce.  Alfred left as well, he had left the groceries on the kitchen counter.  Bruce looked back at Dick.  “Tell me, chum: how did you even find this movie?”

“Well, it’s my fault.  When we got to the video store, I played a bit of a game with Damian.  We each went off to find a movie that the other one would like.  It had to be something that spoke to the other’s character, something appropriate, and something we hadn’t seen.”

“So, you thought Damian would like this?”

“No, he thought I would like it.  All he had to go on was the box.  Nowhere on the box does it say ‘this movie will traumatize children’.  What he went by was the picture of the smiling boy and happy dog, and the sign at the top that said ‘Walt Disney Pictures’.  Neither of us had seen it, and it suited the guidelines I set out.  I was actually really proud of his selection.  He put a lot of thought into it, and for the most part it was a good choice.”

Bruce was about to reply when his phone rang in his pocket with the advertising jingle of “Reeeeeed Robin, yummmmm.”  Dick giggled as Bruce pulled the phone out of his pocket.  He glared at his son and said, “You aren’t allowed to touch my phone anymore.  Do you know what that _particular_ ringtone could cost us if the wrong person were to hear it at the wrong time?”

Dick sighed and said, “Maybe you’re right on that one, but at least it only plays when Tim texts you.  How often does that happen?”

Bruce thought about that piece of information and said, “So…That news jingle that you approved without my permission, then programmed into my phone…”

Dick smiled, “Yes, I thought that one was appropriate for calls and texts from Damian.”

Bruce returned the smile, “You may be right about that one.  Come on, Tim says he found Damian upstairs.”

The two men adjourned to the upper level, where they found Tim standing outside of Damian’s bedroom door.  Looking through the portal, they saw the boy lying on his bed, asleep, his arms wrapped protectively around the neck of his Great Dane.  The animal was occasionally licking the boy’s hand as Damian slept.

Titus looked up at the men crowded around the door and gave a quiet chuff of a bark.  Bruce couldn’t tell for certain, but he was pretty sure that the dog just told them that he could care for his boy just fine, thank you very much.  Bruce smiled at the sight and entered the room.  Pulling the desk chair next to the bed, Bruce whispered, “Thanks, Titus.  Boys, we’ll see you downstairs later.”

As Dick and Tim walked away, Bruce could hear Dick say, “Thanks for coming, Timmy.  I knew you would always be here for me.”

Bruce looked back at his son, seeing a peaceful look on the boy’s face.  Finding his own pet in perfect health must have gone a long way towards healing the hurt of this afternoon.  Bruce settled in to wait for his son to wake, to do his best to complete the healing.

 

**A/N: So, another unplanned one-shot down.  In case you couldn’t find the reference, this story is inspired by a single line, a thought of Bruce’s, from the story Bats and Birds and Mice.  While editing that story, I read this line over and over and wondered just how bad it would be for Dick to watch Old Yeller, then came up with this.  There is also some foreshadowing in this story, but I won’t get into that.**

**If anyone is curious, Damian’s ringtone is originally mentioned in Car Shopping.  For anyone who hasn’t read that story, (please do, but don’t judge it too harshly, it was my first fic), the ringtone in question is the 1966 Adam West Batman theme song.  For anyone who hasn’t seen it, Super Mario Brothers the movie is terrible.  I had the misfortune of seeing it in the theaters when it first came out.  Like Old Yeller, once was enough for me.**

**I don’t know what order you are reading my tales in, but check my profile page for a chronological timeline of my stories.  It will be posted before this hits the site, so check it out.**

**Thanks for sticking with me, I hope you enjoyed it.  Please keep reading.**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own anything.**


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